Obadiah 1:14 (ASV)

Passage

And stand thou not in the crossway, to cut off those of his that escape; and deliver not up those of his that remain in the day of distress.

Nearby Context

Obadiah 1:12 But look not thou on the day of thy brother in the day of his disaster, and rejoice not over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither speak proudly in the day of distress.

Obadiah 1:13 Enter not into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, look not thou on their affliction in the day of their calamity, neither lay ye [hands] on their substance in the day of their calamity.

Obadiah 1:14 And stand thou not in the crossway, to cut off those of his that escape; and deliver not up those of his that remain in the day of distress.

Obadiah 1:15 For the day of Jehovah is near upon all the nations: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee; thy dealing shall return upon thine own head.

Obadiah 1:16 For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the nations drink continually; yea, they shall drink, and swallow down, and shall be as though they had not been.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "stand", "thou", "crossway", "escape", "deliver", "remain", and "distress". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "stand" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Enter not into the gate of my..." into verse 15's "For the day of Jehovah is near...", so "stand" and "thou" belong inside that flow. In Obadiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "stand" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.